(NaturalNews) When the US federal government begins to unlawfully rip away Americans' freedom to purchase the light bulbs of their choice beginning on January 1, 2012, the only available choices will be poisonous compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, which are loaded with toxic mercury, or expensive light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, which a recent CNET article explains will cost roughly $15 a piece for the 60-watt variety -- and that is on the inexpensive end of the spectrum.

According to the report, Lighting Science Group and Dixon Technologies India have developed an omnidirectional LED bulb that emits light at the equivalent brightness of a 60 watt incandescent, and that will be priced just below $15. Since 60-watt equivalent LEDs have typically been priced at $40 or more in the past, this new price point is allegedly a bargain.

A typical 60-watt incandescent made by a reputable company, however, only costs around $1, which makes the new LED bulb roughly 1500 percent more expensive than traditional bulbs. Sure, you might save a few bucks every month on energy costs, and the LED bulb may last a little bit longer, but $15 is a hefty price to pay for a single light bulb when considering that, according to the US government's Energy Star program, the average US household has over 40 light sockets.

But LEDs really are the only viable alternative to incandescents, as CFLs are an extremely toxic time bomb just waiting to explode -- literally. CFLs contain such high levels of mercury that, in the event of a breakage, require careful and extensive cleanup protocols. They also emit high levels of radiation and "dirty energy," and have been reported to cause serious health problems after long-term exposure (http://www.naturalnews.com/028034_mercury_co...).

As more manufacturers innovate better quality and more reliable omnidirectional LEDs in the future, the $15 price point for a 60-watt bulb is sure to decrease. But for the time being, Americans, as well as a handful of other countries that are also implementing new light bulb standards within the next few months, will have no choice but to shell out the big bucks just to light their homes safely.